For years, women owned businesses have been in the extreme minority in the U.S. and worldwide. According to a report from American Express, the percentage of women owned businesses increased by 21% from 2014 to 2019, compared to an overall 9% growth nationwide. Despite occupying a larger percentage of the national and global markets, women owned businesses still face certain obstacles daily.
Many organizations and resources have been established in recent years to help facilitate women-owned businesses’ growth and success. The services provided by these organizations range from funding, to education and mentoring opportunities. While each organization has its mission, its overall goal is the same. Namely, to help women in business achieve success by supporting them and putting them (and their businesses) in positions to succeed. If you are a woman business owner, these resources could prove very useful to you and your business.
Resources for Women Owned Business
Association of Women’s Business Centers
The Association of Women’s Business Centers is a non-profit organization that works to secure “entrepreneurial opportunities” for women across America. There are nearly 150 Women’s Business Center locations across the country. In every local area, women can join to receive training in leadership, small business management, financial management and more.
The AWBC partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which helps to fund AWBC’s educational courses, conferences, and workshops. The AWBC has also partnered with Verizon to offer a free program, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, which provides women owned small businesses with digital tools to thrive in the modern business landscape.
Use the AWBC locator tool to find a Women’s Business Center location in your area.
Ladies Who Launch
Ladies Who Launch is an organization founded with three fundamental principles in mind: Community, Education, and Inspiration. The events and experiences offered by LWL today remain true to those core principles. Ladies Who Launch provides a broad range of educational workshops and experiences for women and non-binary entrepreneurs worldwide.
Like other organizations mentioned here, LWL hosts educational events and conferences. But that is not all they do. Recently, LWL founded its new Launch Program, which provides small business grants and mentorship opportunities for women and LGBTQ+-owned businesses.
LWL also has its podcast, Real Talk, which focuses on a wide range of topics and experiences of women entrepreneurs.
LWL hosts both in-person and virtual events year-round. Visit the Ladies Who Launch website to learn more about past and future events and how to attend.
National Association for Women Business Owners
The National Association of Women Business Owners is one of the nation’s oldest organizations dedicated to promoting and advocating for women owned businesses. Founded in 1975, the NAWBO provides all types of resources for women entrepreneurs. Women business owners can become NAWBO members to receive access to the organization’s vast network of resources.
In addition, the NAWBO hosts events year-round and also manages its own Institute for Entrepreneurial Development. This program offers educational tools and resources hosted by industry leaders to help support and grow women owned businesses.
The organization’s website can provide detailed information about the NAWBO’s programs and institute.
National Women’s Business Council
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a federal advisory committee that provides advice, recommendations, and advocacy for women owned businesses to the U.S. government. The NWBC is in communication with the President’s office and Congressional committees devoted to small businesses.
The NWBC is focused on helping provide opportunities for all women in business around the country. However, the Council lists three main policy priorities as its primary focus: providing women owned businesses with access to capital and opportunity, supporting women owned STEM businesses, and supporting rural women’s entrepreneurship.
The NWBC does much work beyond advocating for policies relating to women owned businesses. They also host virtual events, connect women entrepreneurs with resources, and fund research and reports on women owned businesses.
U.S. Small Business Administration – Women Owned Business Resources
The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) is the only federal agency dedicated entirely to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs. The SBA supports many programs, offices, and non-profit organizations nationwide. Among these are several offices and institutions that provide direct support to women business owners. Among these is the Association of Women’s Business Centers mentioned above.
The SBA also has two internal offices that help support women small business owners in America. The Office of Women’s Business Ownership provides nationwide education, outreach, support, and advocacy for women entrepreneurs. Some of these initiatives include the resources and courses offered at AWBC locations nationwide.
The SBA also offers the Women Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program. This program sets aside a portion of all federal contracting dollars to be awarded to participating women owned businesses. This program aims to ensure that women owned small businesses are not overlooked or underrepresented in their industries. Visit the SBA website to learn more about the program and its eligibility requirements.
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits supporting women owned businesses. The WBENC provides support in many ways. Like many other non-profits, they use their vast network to provide tools and educational resources to help women owned businesses succeed.
But the WBENC also offers Women Owned Business Certification. The WBENC’s Certification program is the most widely respected certification for women owned businesses in the country. Once a business receives its WBENC women owned business certification, it gains access to the organization’s resource network. The SBA’s Women’s Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program also officially recognizes this certification. WBENC’s women owned business certification program is among the essential resources for any women owned business to know about.
A business must be at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman to be eligible for certification. Visit the organization’s website to learn more about WBENC’s Certification program.
Women Impacting Public Policy
Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) is a national, nonpartisan advocacy group of women entrepreneurs. WIPP provides a strong advocacy voice for a wide range of economic and policy concerns relating to women owned businesses in America.
In addition to being advocates for policy change, WIPP also seeks to be an educational force. Women Impacting Public Policy seeks to educate women business owners across the country about various current legislative policies that can impact their business and well-being.
WIPP lists as its 2022 Policy Priorities the following issues: “Create parity for WOSBs in federal contracting; Increase access to capital for women owned businesses; Rethink workplace development; Invest in infrastructure improvements; Demystify global economics; Ensure fair tax treatment for all businesses.”
Grants For Women Owned Businesses
In addition to the resources listed above, you might also find several highly beneficial grants for women owned businesses. The SBA’s Women Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program is not a direct grant for women owned businesses. But it is a federal program that sets aside money to be contracted to women owned businesses annually.
Many private groups offer corporate grants in support of women owned businesses. You might find detailed listings of grants for women owned businesses through any of the organizations listed above. These grants can range significantly in size and scope.
Here is a short list of a few well-known grants for women owned businesses to give a sense of the availability of such grants. To search for more grant opportunities for women owned businesses, visit GrantsForWomen.org.
Amber Grants for Women
WomensNet, an online women’s advocacy organization, founded the Amber Grants for Women program in 1998. Each month, the group awards two $10,000 grants to women entrepreneurs or women owned businesses. A $25,000 grant is also awarded to two monthly grant recipients at the end of each year.
The application for the Amber Grant is straightforward. WomensNet simply asks applicants to submit a short video explaining their business dreams and what they would do with the funding. The only eligibility requirement is that you be a woman entrepreneur. Grant recipients are announced monthly, so applications are always open for those interested.
Visa She’s Next Program
The She’s Next program, sponsored by Visa, provides annual grants and mentorship opportunities for black women business owners. This program awards 60 grants of $10,000 each, plus a one-year Annual Coaching Membership with the IFundWomen Program to black women business owners. The application for this grant is reasonably restrictive, however. Applicants must be black women business owners whose business has been in operation for at least two years. There are also strict location requirements for grant applicants.
Financial Services for Women Owned Small Businesses
Helping small businesses succeed is the #1 goal at Blueacorn. We have proudly offered assistance to women owned firms seeking financial support through PPP. Blueacorn was founded in response to the hardships faced by many small businesses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to support small businesses as they and their communities recover from the effects of the pandemic.